CHAPTER I 
PROVIDE NESTING BOXES, AND DO NOT CUT DOWN 
EVERY HOLLOW TREE 
General Directions. — ‘The best way to attract those 
birds that breed in hollow trees and in other cavities, 
is to allow old hollow trees to remain. Should a dead 
tree disfigure your place, plant wild grape vine, Vir- 
ginia creeper, or some other suitable climbing vine near 
it; the vines will soon cover it, you keep the birds, and 
they are not compelled to go house hunting, which they 
like no better than men. ’ 
Where no hollow trees and posts exist, we must help 
out by nesting boxes. Set your boys and girls to make 
these boxes and I must be much mistaken, if such work 
will not make them real and enthusiastic bird protectors. 
In most cases it will however be necessary that an older 
person direct the work and assist in it. By far the 
best material for bird boxes are sections of hollow 
trunks and limbs, having a cavity from 3 to 8 
inches in diameter. Boards and slabs with the bark 
are almost as good. Where such material is not obtain- 
able, use rough-sawed, weathered, one-inch boards. 
Bird boxes should not be made of new boards and 
should generally not be planed and painted. If you 
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